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Business Objects 6.5 & BOXI R2 FAQ’s
By PenchalaRaju.Yanamala1) What is ‘Business Objects’?
Business Objects is a Dynamic Business intelligence reporting solution from Business Objects.
BUSINESS OBJECTS is an integrated query, reporting and analysis solution for business professionals that allow them to access the data in their corporate databases directly from their desktop and present and analyze this information in a BUSINESS OBJECTS document.
It is an OLAP tool that high-level management can use as a part of a Decision Support Systems (DSS).
BUSINESS OBJECTS makes it easy to access the data, because you work with it in business terms that are familiar to you, not technical database terms like SQL.
2) What is Business intelligence?Business Intelligence is a technology used for preparing the reports for
multidimensional analyses.
3) What is Business Intelligence 80 / 20 concept?In a business Intelligence environment 80% of development time is
allocated to OLAP interface designing, 20% of time allocated to Report development.
4) What are the various Business Objects products?User Module, Designer, Supervisor, Auditor, Set Analyzer, Info View (Web
Intelligence), Business Objects Software Development Kit (SDK), Broadcast Agent etc.
5) What are the roles of BO Administrator?The following are the responsibility assigned to administrator.1. Installations and configurations in a distributed environment.2. Creating the BO Enterprise Repository.3. Performing back up and recovery of Metadata4. Tuning the servers.5. Deployment of reports.
6) What are the roles of BO designer or Architect?An Architect is responsible for designing the OLAP interface by fulfilling
the requirements.Once the Interface has designed it should be regressively tested before
giving to the end user population.
7) What is OLAP interface?A good OLAP interface writes an efficient SQL and reads an aqua rate
data from database. To design the interface and architect having good knowledge on database under standing the report requirements.
8) What is an Application Developer or Report developer?Design the Reports according to the report requirement templates. Testing the each report with following types of tests
a. Unit Testingb. System Testing c. Performance Testing
d. User Acceptance Test (UAT)
9) What are the products installed along with BOXI R2 softwareWhen install the XI R2 following products get installed :
a. Business View Managerb. Business Objects enterprise c. .Net administration launch padd. Business objects Enterprise
.Net Info viewe. Designer desktop intelligencef. Central management console g. Universe builder
10) What is Designer?Designer is a Business Objects IS module used by universe designers to
create and maintain universes. Universes are the semantic layer that isolates end users from the technical issues of the database structure.
Universe designers can distribute universes to end-users by moving them as files through the file system, or by exporting them to the repository.
11) What is a universe? Universe provides a semantic layer between you and the database. It
consists of classes and objects named in business terms. It is basically a mapping of table and the columns in the database to classes and objects respectively in the query panel.
Alternatively, It is logical mapping of data in business terms.In the Business Objects User module, universes enable end users to build
queries from which they can generate and perform analysis. Universes isolate end users from the complexities of the database structure as well as the intricacies of SQL syntax.
12) How to create a universe?Universe will be created using designer. That universe is known as
classic universe. Using this classic universe we can create web intelligence reports,
desktop intelligence reports, crystal repots.
13) Process of Universe creation?
Universe Parameters
Import Tables
Import Joins
Loop
Create Classes
Create Objects
Define hierarchies
14) How do you define universe parameters?
A universe parameter defines the name of the universe and connection to the target database.
The first step in creating a universe is to specify its parameters. These parameters include the definition of a universe, which is comprised of: the universe name, a description of the universe, a connection to an RDBMS. You enter universe parameters from the Universe Parameters dialog box. This dialog box also lets you set up database options, external strategies, graphic options, and print settings.
15) How do you test the integrity of a universe?With the Check Integrity command, you can test the structure of your
active universe. This means testing to determine whether its components are accurate and up-to-date.
Check Integrity serves the following purposes:It detects any inconsistencies in the objects, joins, conditions, and
cardinalities of your universe.It detects whether there are any loops in the joins.
It determines whether changes were made to the database to which the universe is connected.
16) How can you check the universe?
Using check Integrity, u can check the universe. Go to Designer, Tools -> check Integrity
17) What are Linked Universes?If the data provided is from two different data providers then we can link
those two universes, such type of universe is called Linked Universe.
18) What is multidimensional analyses?A multi dimensional analyses is a technique to modify the data so that the
data can be view from different prospective and at the different levels of details.
19) What are the futures of multidimensional analyses?The following are the features of multidimensional analyses:
Drill Down (For more details)Drill Up (For summery details)Drill Across (Like from year to different cities)
20) What are the formats supported for Business Objects documents?You can view Business Objects documents in the following formats:
1. HTML2. PDF3. Enhanced Document Format4. Business Objects Format
21) What are the advantages of Business Objects over other DSS?
User Friendly. Familiar Business Terms. Graphical Interface Drag and Drop. Powerful reports in less time. Enterprise wide Deployment of documents using Web.
Customized dashboards using Application foundation and Business Objects SDK.
22) How many modes are there in Business Objects & Designer?There are 2 types: Enterprise Mode, Workgroup Mode.
23) What are Enterprise and Workgroup modes?Designer lets you save universes in either enterprise or workgroup mode. Enterprise mode means that you are working in an environment with a
repository. Workgroup mode means that you are working without a repository. The mode in which you save your universe determines whether other
designers are able to access them. By default, a universe is saved in the mode in which you are already
working. For example, if you launched a session in enterprise mode, any universe you save is automatically in that mode.
24) How do you save a Business Objects document, which can be accessed by all users in workgroup mode?
If we want to make a universe accessible to another designer working without a repository, then click the Save as Workgroup check box in the Save as universe dialog box.
25) What are the types of connections or types of universe? Designer provides three types of connections: secured, shared, and
personal.
1. Personal:- Universe can be accessed by a single user or A single user can query the data from database
2. Sharing :- multiple user can send queries to database. 3. Secure :- This is the default connection type. A universe can be
accessed by multiple users and can send multiple queries to the database.
26) What is Joins? A Join is a relationship that explains how the data in one table relates to data in another table.
27) What are the types of Joins?The following are the types of Joins :
1. Inner Joins2. Left outer Joins3. Right outer Joins4. Full outer Joins5. Theta Join6. Short cut Join
28) What is theta join? A join is a relational operation that causes two or more tables with a
common domain to be combined into a single table. The purpose of joins is to restrict the result set of a query run against multiple tables.
A Theta join links tables based on a relationship other than equality between two columns.
29) What is a macro?A macro is a series of commands and functions that are stored in a Visual
Basic for Applications module and can be run whenever you need to perform the task. If you perform a task repeatedly, you can automate the task with a macro. You create macros using the Visual Basic Editor.
30) What are loops? Loop is a situation that occurs when more than one path exists from one
table to another. Loops result in ambiguity in the design of a universe
31) How do you detect loops?Designer enables you to identify loops in one of two ways: You can run
the Check Integrity function, which indicates the existence of any loops. You can select the Detect Loops command from the Tools menu. If there are loops, the Loop Detection viewer appears; it indicates the joins causing a loop.
32) What are aliases?An alias is a logical pointer to an alternate table name. The purpose of an
alias is to resolve loops in the paths of joins. In some cases, more than one alias may be necessary for a given table. As you create aliases, Designer may prompt you to create other aliases. This occurs when the new aliases result in the need for additional aliases; in other words, creating such aliases entails the propagation of other aliases. In such a situation, two options are available to you:
You can cause only the first table proposed to be aliased You can alias all the tables listed (i.e. propagate the aliases)
Designer displays an alias in the Structure pane as a table. It links an aliased table to existing tables, re-arranging joins, as necessary.
33) How do you resolve the loop?You can resolve loops in two ways:
• Using aliases• Using contexts
DESIGNER provides three features, which guide you in the loop resolution process:
• Detect Cardinalities• Detect Aliases• Detect Contexts
The first step in resolving loops is to detect the cardinalities of the tables.
34) Can Contexts and Aliases Be Used Together?Yes, you can use contexts and aliases in the same universe. In fact, in
many cases you should use them together.
35) Where are the types are relationship between tables?3 types relationship :
1. One to Many2. One to One3. Many to Many
36) What is an add-in?Add-ins are programs that add optional commands and features to
BUSINESS OBJECTS. Add-ins are usually created by those responsible in your
company for adding customized features to BUSINESSOBJECTS. All you probably need to do is install and uninstall add-ins that are sent to you.
37) What functions are supported?Designer provides four types of functions: Number, Character, Date and
@Functions. Functions beginning with the @ character are BusinessObject functions that render the definition of objects dynamic and database-independent.
38) Define types of functions and there purposes:
@Function Purpose@Aggregate_Aware is used to enhance the performance of SQL
transactions; i.e. it determines which tables to use in SQL generation: either aggregate tables or detailed tables.
@Prompt is used to create an interactive object. In the Query Panel, this type of object causes a message to appear that prompts the end user to enter a specific value.
@Script is used to recover the results of an executed macro created with the Visual Basic Editor in the BusinessObjects User module
@Select lets you re-use the Select statement of an existing object
@Variable is used to reference the value assigned to a name or variable.
@Where lets you re-use the Where clause of an existing object.
39) What is meant by object qualification?The qualification of an object reveals how it can be used in
multidimensional analysis. An object can be qualified as a dimension, a detail, or a measure. In the Universe pane, the symbol beside each object indicates its qualification.
40) How do you define universe parameters?The first step in creating a universe is to specify its parameters. These
parameters include the definition of a universe, which is comprised of: the universe name, a description of the universe, a connection to an RDBMS. You enter universe parameters from the Universe Parameters dialog box. This dialog box also lets you set up database options, external strategies, graphic options, and print settings.
41) What are cardinalities?Cardinality expresses the minimum and maximum number of instances of
an entity B that can be associated with an instance of an entity A. The minimum and the maximum number of instances can be equal to 0, 1, or N.
Because a join represents a bi-directional relationship, it must always have two cardinalities.
There are two main methods for detecting or editing cardinalities: the Detect Cardinalities command the Edit Join dialog box
If you selected the Detect cardinalities in joins options in the Database tab of the Options dialog box, Designer detects and retrieves the cardinalities of the joins. If you do not use this option, you can still retrieve the cardinalities for one or all joins in the universe.
42) What is a database connection?A connection is a set of parameters that provides access to an RDBMS.
These parameters include system information such as the data account, user identification, and the path to the database. Designer provides three types of connections: secured, shared, and personal.
43) What are the types of connections we use when connecting to the database?
There are three types of connections namely: - Secured, Shared and Personal.
A secured connection is used to centralize and control access to sensitive or critical data. It is the safest type of connection for protecting access to data.
A shared connection is used to access common resources such as universes or documents. Several users can thus use it.
A personal connection is specific to one user and can be used only from the computer on which it was created.
44) What are the components of the Designer interface?In Designer, you create a universe using three areas: the Universe pane,
the Structure pane, the Table Browser. The Universe pane displays the components of the universe from the point of view of Business Objects; that is the classes, objects, and conditions. The Structure pane reflects the underlying database structure of the universe including the tables, columns, and joins. The Table Browser is the component that lets you create the classes and objects of the universe from the tables and columns of a database.
45) How do you design a universe?The design method consists of two major phases.During the first phase, you create the underlying database structure of
your universe. This structure includes the tables and columns of a database and the joins by which they are linked. You may need to resolve loops which occur in the joins using aliases or contexts. You can conclude this phase by testing the integrity of the overall structure.
During the second phase, you can proceed to enhance the components of your universe. You can also prepare certain objects for multidimensional analysis. As with the first phase, you should test the integrity of your universe structure. Finally, you can distribute your universes to users by exporting them to the repository or via your file system.
46) Which are the different types of data providers? Queries on Universes Stored Procedures Free-hand SQL Personal Data files VBA Procedures OLAP Servers SAP
47) What are classes/objects?An object maps to data or a derivation of data in the database. For the
purposes of multidimensional analysis, an object can be qualified as one of three types: a dimension, detail, or measure.
A class is a collection of objects based on business categories.
A universe is a set of classes and objects intended for a specific application or group of users.
48) What are classes?A class is a logical grouping of objects within a universe. In general, the
name of a class reflects a business concept that conveys the category or type of objects.
A class can be further divided into subclasses. In the human resources universe, a subclass of the Employees class could be Personal Information.
As designer, you are free to define hierarchies of classes and subclasses in a model that best reflects the business concepts of your organization.
49) What are objects?An object is the most refined component in a universe. It maps to data or a
derivation of data in the database. Using objects, end users can build queries to generate reports. The name
of an object suggests a concept drawn from the terminology of a business or discipline.
For the purposes of multidimensional analysis, objects are qualified as one of three types: dimension, detail, or measure.
We can’t create object without class.
50) What are the types of Objects?The following types of objects can be created in the universe.
1. Dimension2. Measure 3. Detail
51) What is Dimension Object?Dimensions are basic parameters used in analyzing the business
measures.A Dimension object is represented as CUBE.
52) What is Detailed Object?It provides a detailed description to the dimension object.
53) What is Measure Objects?A Measure object returning numeric information. A measure object is created with following aggregate functions Sum(),
Avg(), Max(), Min(), Count().The default aggregate function using creating measure object is Sum().
54) What is a hierarchy?A hierarchy is an ordered series of related dimensions grouped together to
perform multidimensional hierarchy.The relationship between object in the hierarchy is one – to – many.
55) What are the types of hierarchy?
There are two types of hierarchies.1. Default hierarchy :- It contains the dimension objects in the
order in which they are presented in the class.2. Custom hierarchy :- A custom hierarchy is created from default
hierarchy
56) How to create hierarchies in BO?A hierarchy, which the designer sets up when creating the universe,
consists of dimension objects ranked from “less detailed” to “more detailed”.The objects that belong to hierarchies are the ones you can use to define
scope of analysis.
57) What is List of Values (LOV)?A list of values contains the data values associated with an object. These
data values can originate from a corporate database, or a flat file such as a text file or Excel file.
In Designer you create a list of values by running a query from the Query Panel. You can then view, edit, purge, refresh, and even export this file. A list of values is stored as an .lov file in a subfolder of the UserDocs folder.
58) What is Restriction?A restriction is a condition which reduces the number of records displayed
in the record.
59) What is a Filter?A filter enables you to hide the data you do not want to view behind the
scenes and display only the data you need.
60) What are the types of Filters?In the crystal reports the data can be filtered in two different ways
1. Select Expert : It allows you to define the simple conditions.2. Selection Formula : The data can be filtered by defining the
expressions in formula editor.
61) What are the types of Query Filter that you use in Web intelligence?There are four types of Query Filter you use in Web intelligence:
1. Predefined Filters2. Single and Multi – value Filters3. Prompted Filters4. Complex Filters
62) What is conditional Formatting?The data in the report can be formatted based on given condition this
allows you to quickly identify the data for faster analyses.
63) What is alert message?An alert is a message which is displayed before viewing the data records.
64) What are the types of Filters which affects the report?There are two types of filter.
A global filter affects the whole report. A blockspecific filter only filters data for the specified chart, table or
crosstab.
65) What is a Prompt?A Prompt is an end users object, which allows the users to enter the value
or select the values to restrict the data in the report.
66) What are the parameters a prompt function takes?This function takes 5 parameters as arguments, each parameter is
separated with comma ( , ).
1. Prompt Text:- It is a text message displayed on the top of a list box or text box.
This parameter is enclosed in single cote.
Ex:- ‘Select the State’
2. Data Type:- It specifies the data type of an object on which prompt is created.
This parameter is enclosed in single cote.
A AlphaN NumericD Date
3. List Of Values:- This parameter can be represented in two different ways.
a. Hard Code List {‘New York’, ‘Taxes’}b. A Pointer of LOV of an object
Syntax :- ‘Class / Object’Ex :- ‘Store / State’
4. MONO or MULTI :-a. MONO :- IT lets the user to select the single value from the list.b. Multi :- It lets the user to select the multiple values from the list.
5. Free or Constrained :-a. Free:- It lets the user either to enter the value or select the value
from the list.b. Constrains:- It lets the user to select only the value from the list.
67) Where will you find the address of repository in BO?BO Main.key, File that contains the address of the repository’s security
domain.
68) Explain the Repository of the Business Objects?A Business Objects repository is a set of data structures stored on a
database. A repository makes it possible to share the resources necessary for client/server architecture. To ensure security and manage user resources, a repository comprises three types of domains:
1. Universe Domain – Consists of 24 database tables used to store universes.It stores the universe which you create.
2. Document Domain – consists of database table used to store files including Business Objects documents (.rep), List of Value files (.lov),etc.
It stores the documents which can be accessed by multiple users.
3. Security Domain – consists of 25 database tables used to store Business Objects users and their permissions.It stores the information about users, user groups and profiles
assigned to the users.
69) Can we have multiple domains?Yes. (Security domain can not be multiple).
70) What is a template?A template is a special kind of BUSINESSOBJECTS document that
contains pre-defined styles and structure that you use as a foundation to create reports. BUSINESSOBJECTS comes with several templates for you to use and you can also create your own.
71) How do you create a universe, step-by-step approach.
Designing, Creating and maintaining a universe
The phased in this include:
Planning
Break down the information system into functional areas
Analysis
Analyze the information needs of users
Design
Design a conceptual schemaDesign the specification of a universe
Implementation
Create a universe with DESIGNERTest the universe with BUSINESSOBJECTS/WEBINTELLIGENCEDistribute the universeRepeat the above steps for other universes
Maintenance
Update and maintain the universeNotify end users of changes
72) How many modes are there in BO & Designer? There are 2 types: Enterprise Mode, Workgroup Mode.
73) What are Enterprise and Workgroup modes?Designer lets you save universes in either enterprise or workgroup mode.
Enterprise mode means that you are working in an environment with a repository. Workgroup mode means that you are working without a repository. The
mode in which you save your universe determines whether other designers are able to access them.
By default, a universe is saved in the mode in which you are already working. For example, if you launched a session in enterprise mode, any universe you save is automatically in that mode.
74) How do you restrict access to rows of a database?In XI version it can be done by using row-level security in designer module
whereas in 5i/6i it is done by supervisor.
75) What do you mean by Object qualification? Object qualification represents what kind of object is that, usually we have
three types of object qualifiers they are measure, dimension, detailed.
76) How do you save a Business Objects document, which can be accessed by all users in workgroup mode?
If we want to make a universe accessible to another designer working without a repository, then click the Save as Workgroup check box in the Save as universe dialog box.
Web-intelligence FAQ’s
77) What is Webintelligence?Webintelligence is a single tool for understanding and controlling the
business tasks. It enables you to access, analyze and share corporate data over internets and extranets for RDBMS AND OLAP servers.
To access Webintelligence we log into the INFOVIEW portal via Internet Explorer.
78) What are the formats supported for Web intelligence documents?You can view Web intelligence documents in the following formats:1. HTML2. HTML(Interactive)3. PDF
79) Explain INFOVIEW Portal?The INFOVIEW portal is organized into the following parts:
1. Toolbar2. Page content
Toolbar :- The INFOVIEW Toolbar contains the following links to the following pages.
1. Home Page2. My Infoview Page3. Optional Page4. Help Page5. Logout Page
Page Content :- The Page Content contains the following options:1. Corporate Documents2. Search3. Personal Documents4. Inbox Documents5. New Documents6. Add a Document7. Scheduled Documents
80) What are the documents you can access from Infoview?INFOVIEW allows you to access the corporate documents from three
storage areas like:1. Corporate Documents2. Personal Documents3. Inbox Documents
81) What are the levels for organizing the documents in Infoview?Infoview provides to levels for organizing the documents.
a. Foldersb. Categories
82) Define Folder:A Folder is location to store the documents There are 2 types of Folders
1. Public Folders:- The public documents are stored in public folders which can be accessed by multiple users.
2. My Folders :- Personal Documents are stored in my folders. My Folder contains two subfolders.
i. Favorites :-It contains personal documentsii. Inbox :- Stores the documents sent by other users.
83) What are the Document categories in INFOVIEW?Categories are a way of organizing documents in INFOVIEW portal. A
Category displays only the documents that have been assigned to it. There are two kinds of Categories:
1. Corporate Category:- Its created to store public documents.2. Personal Category:- Its created to store personal documents.
84) What are the different ways to distribute and share documents?The documents can be distributed and shared in 3 ways:1. Send a document to user or user group.2. Save the document either Excel or PDF.3. Schedule the document to be refreshed and sent automatically to your
using scheduler.
85) Explain the query process in Webintelligence?Query processing steps:1. User creates (prepares) a business query at the client work station2. When the user run the business query the request reaches to the BO
Enterprise Server.3. The BO Enterprise server converts the business query into an SQL
Query. Which is an understandable language for the database.4. The BO Enterprise sends the SQL query to the database and query
gets processed on database.5. The result set from the SQL query is stored in micro cube which is
know as data provider. Micro cube resides in Enterprise server.6. From the micro cube the data is projected to the client work station in
the form of Report (documents).
86) What are the Report Panels exits in Webintelligence?Webintelligence provides two types of Report Panels:1. Java report Panel: Enables you to create sophisticated documents
containing multiple reports, tables and charts. You can create complex filters, custom formulas and highly formatted documents in Java Report Panel.
2. HTML Report Panel: Enables you to create simple reports helped by wizard – like style tabs. You can apply simple filters and standard calculations to a report in HTML Report Panel.
87) What is Report Manager in Webintelligence?The Report Manager is displayed to the left hand side of the
Webintelligence Java Report Panel. We use this Report Panel to: Manage all the objects and variables in the document (Data Tab). Change the type of blocks in the report (Templates Tab). Format the properties of the report and its contents. (Properties
Tab) Navigate through the documents (Map Tab).
88) What is Central Management Console (CMC)?BOXI R2 supports complete web based administration using CMC.
CMC is the main administration utility for BOS, Business Intelligence platform. It runs in web browse and provides many administration functions.
With the CMC you can Deploy the reports, Develop the security model, Tune the servers Managing the license keys.
89) What is Desktop Intelligence?It is formerly known as business objects used to create the desktop
intelligence documents.
The desktop intelligence documents are saved with and extension .rep.
90) Difference between web and desktop Intelligence?
Desktop Intelligence Web Intelligence1. Desktop Intelligence document are accessed with the enterprise.
1. Web Intelligence documents can be accessed beyond the enterprise.
2. This supports following data provides a. Universe b. Freehand SQL c. Personal Data files d. Stored Procedures.
2 This supports only the universe to create the document.
3 The details can be surprised using folding in a break report.
3. Folding is not possible in web intelligence
4 This supports template to create the document.
4. This doesn’t support templates.
91) Define slice and dice:A Slice and Dice explains the orientation of the data into the following
formats.1. Table 2. Horizontal Table3. Cross Tab
92) Define Drill:The action of navigating through levels of data. When you drill up, you obtain more summarized or general information. By drilling down, you can reach more refined or detailed information.
93) Can a Universe have more than 1 fact Table?Yes. Typically a universe can have more than 1 fact table and numerous
aggregated tables.
94) What are Contexts?A context is a rule that determines which of two paths can be chosen when
more than one path is possible in the database from one table to another. It helps in resolving the loops created by various joins in the universe tables.
With certain database structures, you may need to use contexts rather than aliases to resolve loops. A situation where this commonly occurs is a transactional database with multiple fact tables (“multiple stars”) that share lookup tables.
95) What is the typical strategy employed in developing/maintaining/distributing Universes?
Phase 1: Break down the informational system into functional areas.Phase 2: Analyze the information needs of users.Phase 3: Design a conceptual schema
Design the specification of the user.Phase 4: Create a Universe with designer.
Test the Universe with the Business Objects module. Distribute the Universe. Repeat the other steps for other Universes.
Phase 5: Update and maintain the Universe.Notify end users of changes.
96) What are strategies?A strategy is a script that automatically extracts structural information from
a database or flat file.
97) What are the different types of Strategies?In Designer we can specify two types of strategies:
1) Built-in strategies and2) External strategies
Built-in Strategies: Designer provides a number of default strategies which we can use. These are strategies for extracting joins, detecting cardinalities, and creating default classes and objects. Options for indicating default strategies are located in the Database tab of the Options dialog box.
External Strategies: We can also create our own strategies. Such strategies are referred to as external strategies. With an external strategy, we can specify the exact way that objects and joins are to be extracted from the database structure. The strategy we use, for example, can be a script generated from a CASE Access tool. An external strategy is specific to one RDBMS.
98) Can I add some html tags in the report?Yes. In the format/properties one has to set the option ‘read as html’.
99) Can I drill through from one report to another?Yes. Using some html coding in the parameters to be passed while drill
through one can drill thru from one BO report to another in the same BO document.
100) Did you do metadata reporting in BO?Metadata reporting of BO is possible. BO provides a separate universe
which actually contains repository tables, objects etc. Using this Universe one can do metadata reporting in BO.
101) How do you publish BO report?There are 2 ways of publishing BO reports on website1) User who has publishing rights for a document can publish that
document for other users.2) Documents can be published via a scheduler for Business Object
known as BCA or Broadcast Agent.
102) What is a break?A break does what its name implies. It breaks up the data in a table or
crosstab by grouping the data according to a selected value. This allows you to display all the data for each value of a dimension variable together, and more importantly, it allows you to display subtotals.
Crystal Reports XI FAQ’s
103) Define crystal reports:It is an enterprise reporting tool. Using which you can generate reports
using following sources (data providers).1. Universe2. Business Views3. Databases4. OLAP sources
104) Types of crystal report environment:There are 2 reporting environments
1. Designer environment:- In a designer environment we work with the representation of data (meta data)
2. Preview Environment:- In this environment we work on actual data.
105) Define Crystal server enterprise Architecture?Crystal report server is a new addition to the crystal reports product suit
the crystal report server looks live BO Enterprise server it provides a rich sets of enterprise level report functions which includes.
a. Accessing any Data Sourceb. Designing any Reportsc. Delivering any managing reports over the webd. Integrating report with applications and portse. Marinating the crystal reports with minimal IT overhead.
106) Define multi tire system of crystal Report Enterprise?A crystal report Enterprise system is made up of 5 tire Architecture.
a. Client Tireb. Applications Tirec. Intelligence Tired. Processing Tiree. Data Tire
107) Define Client Tire:-A client tire is the part of BO Enterprise system that administrators and
End users interacts with directly.This tire is made up of applications that enable people to administer,
publish and view the web content such as crystal reports.This tire includes Central Configuration Management (CCM). Central
Management Control (CMC), Publishing wizard, Import wizard, Info view, Business views.
108) Define Application Tire:Application tire hosts the server side components that process the request
from client tire as well as you to allows you to communicate with appropriate servers in a intelligent tire.
Application server acts as a gateway between web server and other rest of components in a crystal report server.
109) Define Intelligence Tire:Intelligence tire manages the crystal report server system. It maintains the
security information, sends the request to appropriate servers, manages audit information and stores the report instances.
It includes CMS (central management server) Cache server File repository server
1. input file server2. output file server
Event server
110) Define Processing Tire:The processing tire access the data and generates the crystal reports it is
the only tire that interacts with the database.Processing tire includes
Job servers Crystal report page servers Report Application server
111) Define Data Tire:The data tire is made up of data bases from which data can be retrieved
and placed in crystal reports.
112) What are the features of crystal reports?Crystal report features:-
a. High productivity report creation and integration.b. Quickly transform almost any data into powerful
interactive contentc. Tightly integrate reporting into .Net, Java and com
applicationsd. Let end users access and interact with the repots via
portal, wireless devises, Microsoft office tools.
113) What are the new features of crystal reports XI?The follow are the new features added in crystal reports XI:-
1. Powerful report authoring:-o Dynamic and cascading prompts are now available in crystal
reports.A single prompt definition can be used and stored in repository and
shared among multiple reports improving runtime scalability and design time productivity.o We can also place pictures and graphics in the reports through a
link stored in database.o Group sort order and top or bottom N reports can now have their
sort values driven by formula.
2. Expanding application development capabilities:-o Custom Java user function libraries let java developers to
incorporate their own code in crystal reports.o A report can be formatted with a grain control over the report
format.
3. Integration with Business Objects XI:-o Repository explorer has been enhanced to allow for easer logon
and easer browsing of enterprise objects and repository Items.o Repository explorer can open BO Enterprise central management
console
o Dependence check up now allows you to confirm that all repository objects in report are valid.
114) Define Report Explorer:A Report explorer allows you to create report headers, report footer, page
headers, page footer and details.
115) What are the sections in crystal report?A report in the crystal is divided into the five basic sections.
1. Report header :- Any thing placed in the report header is displayed only at the beginning of report. Like images.
2. Report footer :- Any thing placed in the report footer is displayed at the end of the report. Like grand totals.
3. Page header :- Any thing placed in the page header is displayed on the start of each page in the report.
4. Page footer :- Any thing placed in the page footer is displayed at the end of each page of the report page.
5. Details :-It contains the body of the report that is actual data.
116) What are the data sources supported by crystal report?a. Oracleb. IBM-DB2c. Microsoft Ms-Accessd. Sybasee. Info mixf. CUBEg. ODBC
117) What are the operating systems support crystal report?Windows NT, Sun Solaris, HP Unix and IBM AIX.
118) What are the web servers support crystal report?1. MS Internet Information Services (IIS)2. Netscape Servers3. Apache Web Server
119) What the Browsers supports crystal reports?a. Netscape Navigator b. MS – IE (Internet explorer)
120) What is sub report? A sub report allows you to navigate the information summary to detail.
121) What is master detail relationship?A sub report includes the detailed information, master report includes
summary information. The link between master report and sub repot is established through
common column.
122) What are Blocks?In Web intelligence Blocks represents tables, charts, crosstabs and forms
in which the business information is displayed. A Report Manager manages the data to be represented in a different formats called as Blocks and allows to set the properties of Blocks.
123) What is On demand sub reports (drill through)?A on demand sub report can be used as hyperlink.
124) What is Record sort expert?It allows you to sort data (records) either in ascending order or descending
order.
125) Define Cross Tab:In crystal reports a cross tab can be created in a two different ways.
a. Using cross tab wizardb. Manual approach : A cross tab can be placed only either
in report header or report footer.126) Define Charts?
A chart is graphical representation of business data. In crystal reports a chart can be created in a different ways
1. Using wizards a. Standard Report wizardb. Cross tab report wizard
2. Manual approach : A chart can be placed either in report header or report footer.
127) What are the basic chart types available in web intelligence?Web intelligence provides the following basic types of Charts
1. Bar chart2. Line chart3. Area chart4. Pie chart
128) What are the types of tables available in web intelligence?Web intelligence provides four different types of tables:
1. Vertical Table2. Horizontal of Financial Table3. Cross tab4. Form
129) What is cascading prompts?In a crystal report an cascading prompt can be implemented using
dynamic list of value.Between the objects their should be a one to many relationship.The filter needs to be created for the lowest level grain in the hierarchy.
130) What is hyperlinks?A hyperlink allows you to access a report or another URL.
131) What is dense ranking?
Dense Ranking calculating values for group of records.
132) Difference between scope of analysis in webi and in deski?
In Deski: all the data for all objects will be retrieved from the database and that is stored in micro cube. whenever you want to drill down for next level dimension it doesn’t need to connect to database
In Webi : all values for all objects that are dragged into the query panel will be retrieved hierarchical objects values wont be retrieved like deski. 133) What is aggregate navigation?
Aggregate Navigation is used to specify the incompatible objects.
134) How do u implement dense rank in BO reports?Dense Rank is used for assigning a precedence or rank to each row in the
result set relative to other rows in the result set.
135) What is Detail object?An object qualified as a detail provides descriptive data about a dimension
object. A detail object cannot be used in drill down analysis.
136) What is Offline mode?The work mode in which the designer works with universes stored locally.
137) What is Online mode?The work mode appropriate for a networked environment in which the
general supervisor has set up a repository. 138) Create a database connection
1 Select the Connections command from the Tools menu.2 Click the Add button.3 In the Add a connection dialog box, click the name of the network
driver, then click OK. connection dialog box specific to your RDBMS appears. It is made up of two tabs: Login and Advanced. In each tab, the parameters shown depend on the network driver you selected. For more information, click .
4 Type or select the connection parameters in the appropriate boxes, and click OK. Connections dialog box appears once again. It displays the connection you just created.
5 Click OK.
139) Modify a database connection1 Select the Connections command from the Tools menu.2 Click the connection.3 Click the Edit button.4 In the dialog box, type or select the connection parameters in the
appropriate boxes, and click ok. The Connections dialog box appears once again. It displays the connection you just modified.
5 Click OK.
140) Delete a database connection1 Select the Connections command from the Tools menu.2 Click a previously defined connection.3 Click the Remove button. dialog box prompts you to confirm the
action.4 Click Yes.
141) How to Create an alias manually
1 In the Structure pane, click the table for which you want to create an alias.
2 Select the Alias command from the Insert menu dialog box appears prompting you to enter a name for the aliased table.
3 Enter a new name for the aliased table, or keep the one proposed.4 Click OK. aliased table appears in the Structure pane.
142) What are contexts?A context is a rule by which Designer can decide which of two paths to
choose when more than one path is possible from one table to another. Contexts can be used to resolve loops in the universe.
You can create contexts manually, or cause them to be detected by Designer. When contexts are useful, Designer suggests a list of contexts that you can create.
BOXI R2 Crystal Reports FAQ’s
1) Define Crystal Reports:It is an enterprise reporting tool. Using which you can generate reports
using following sources (data providers).5. Universe6. Business Views7. Databases8. OLAP sources
2) Types of crystal report environment:There are 2 reporting environments
3. Designer environment:- In a designer environment we work with the representation of data (meta data)
4. Preview Environment:- In this environment we work on actual data.
3) Define Crystal server enterprise Architecture?Crystal report server is a new addition to the crystal reports product suit
the crystal report server looks live BO Enterprise server it provides a rich sets of enterprise level report functions which includes.
f. Accessing any Data Sourceg. Designing any Reportsh. Delivering any managing reports over the webi. Integrating report with applications and portsj. Marinating the crystal reports with minimal IT overhead.
4) What are the core components are included in the Crystal Report Server?
Crystal Reports Server is built from the same object model as Business Objects Enterprise. The following core components are included in the product:
Report Designer (all drivers and access methods) Business Views Report publisher Info View web portal interface Portal integration kits Viewers Scheduler Security (BOE, Active Directory, LDAP, and NT authentication) Software development kits (SDKs) Management console.
5) What are the Enterprise – level reporting functions included in Crystal Reports Server provided?
Crystal Reports Server provides a rich set of Enterprise-level reporting functions including
Accessing any data source Designing any report Delivering and managing reports over the Web Integrating reporting with applications and portals Maintaining repots with minimal IT overhead.
6) Define multi tire system of crystal Report Enterprise?Crystal Reports Server is a multi-tier system. Although the components
are responsible for different task, they can be logically grouped based on the type of work they perform.
Crystal Reports Server has five tiers: -f. Client Tireg. Applications Tireh. Intelligence Tirei. Processing Tirej. Data Tire
7) Define Client Tire:-A client tire is the part of BO Enterprise system that administrators and
End users interacts with directly.This tire is made up of applications that enable people to administer,
publish and view the web content such as crystal reports.This tire includes Central Configuration Management (CCM). Central
Management Control (CMC), Publishing wizard, Import wizard, Info view, Business views.
8) Define Application Tire:Application tire hosts the server side components that process the request
from client tire as well as you to allows you to communicate with appropriate servers in a intelligent tire.
Application server acts as a gateway between web server and other rest of components in a crystal report server.
9) Define Intelligence Tire:Intelligence tire manages the crystal report server system. It maintains the
security information, sends the request to appropriate servers, manages audit information and stores the report instances.
It includes CMS (central management server) Cache server File repository server
1. input file server2. output file server
Event server
10) Define Processing Tire:The processing tire access the data and generates the crystal reports it is
the only tire that interacts with the database.Processing tire includes
Job servers Crystal report page servers
Report Application server
11) Define Data Tire:The data tire is made up of data bases from which data can be retrieved
and placed in crystal reports.
12) What are the features of crystal reports?Crystal report features:-
e. High productivity report creation and integration.f. Quickly transform almost any data into powerful
interactive contentg. Tightly integrate reporting into .Net, Java and com
applicationsh. Let end users access and interact with the repots via
portal, wireless devises, Microsoft office tools.
13) What are the new features of crystal reports XI?The follow are the new features added in crystal reports XI:-
4. Powerful report authoring:-o Dynamic and cascading prompts are now available in crystal
reports.A single prompt definition can be used and stored in repository and
shared among multiple reports improving runtime scalability and design time productivity.o We can also place pictures and graphics in the reports through a
link stored in database.o Group sort order and top or bottom N reports can now have their
sort values driven by formula.
5. Expanding application development capabilities:-o Custom Java user function libraries let java developers to
incorporate their own code in crystal reports.o A report can be formatted with a grain control over the report
format.
6. Integration with Business Objects XI:-o Repository explorer has been enhanced to allow for easer logon
and easer browsing of enterprise objects and repository Items.o Repository explorer can open BO Enterprise central management
consoleo Dependence check up now allows you to confirm that all repository
objects in report are valid.
14) Define Report Explorer:A Report explorer allows you to create report headers, report footer, page
headers, page footer and details.
15) What are the sections in crystal report?A report in the crystal is divided into the five basic sections.
6. Report header :- Any thing placed in the report header is displayed only at the beginning of report. Like images.
7. Report footer :- Any thing placed in the report footer is displayed at the end of the report. Like grand totals.
8. Page header :- Any thing placed in the page header is displayed on the start of each page in the report.
9. Page footer :- Any thing placed in the page footer is displayed at the end of each page of the report page.
10.Details :-It contains the body of the report that is actual data.
16) What are the data sources supported by crystal report?a. Oracleb. IBM-DB2c. Microsoft Ms-Accessd. Sybasee. Info mixf. CUBEg. ODBC
15) What are the operating systems support crystal report?Windows NT, Sun Solaris, HP Unix and IBM AIX.
17) What are the web servers support crystal report?4. MS Internet Information Services (IIS)5. Netscape Servers6. Apache Web Server
18) What the Browsers supports crystal reports?a. Netscape Navigator b. MS – IE (Internet explorer)
19) What are the types of Filters?In the crystal reports the data can be filtered in two different ways
1. Select Expert : It allows you to define the simple conditions.2. Selection Formula : The data can be filtered by defining the
expressions in formula editor.
20) What is selection formula?The data can be filtered by defining the expression in formula editor.
21) What is conditional Formatting?The data in the report can be formatted based on given condition this
allows you to quickly identify the data for faster analyses.
22) What is alert message?An alert is a message which is displayed before viewing the data records.
23) What is sub reports?A sub report allows you to navigate the information summery to detail.
24) Define Master detail relationship?A sub report includes the detailed information, master report includes
summery information.The link between master report and sub report is established through
common column.
25) What is the extension for crystal report?A crystal report saves with an extension .rpt (report template).
26) How the formula fields are referenced?Formula fields are referenced using @field name.
27) How the running totals are referenced?Running totals are referenced using #field name
28) Define Cross Tab:In crystal reports a cross tab can be created in a two different ways.
a. Using cross tab wizardManual approach : A cross tab can be placed only either in report header or report footer.
29) Define Charts?A chart is graphical representation of business data. In crystal reports a
chart can be created in a different ways 3. Using wizards
a. Standard Report wizardb. Cross tab report wizard
2. Manual approach : A chart can be placed either in report header or report footer.
30) What is cascading prompts?In a crystal report an cascading prompt can be implemented using
dynamic list of value.Between the objects their should be a one to many relationship.The filter needs to be created for the lowest level grain in the hierarchy.
31) What is a hyperlink?A hyperlink allows you to access a report or another URL.
32) What all the new chart types are included in new version of crystal reports?
In addition to familiar chart types including bar charts, pie charts, scatter charts, line charts and bubble charts new chart types in recent versions include the following:
Histogram charts Funnel charts Gantt charts Gauges Numeric Axis charts
33) What is Numeric Axis chart type?A Numeric Axis chart is a bar, line, or area chart that uses a numeric field
or a data/time as its On Change of field, With Numeric Axis charts you can create a true numeric X-axis or a true date/time X-axis.
34) Define Gauge chart?A Gauge chart presents data using a speedometer visual and is often
used to measure percentage completed against target type metrics.
35) Define Gantt chart?A Gantt chart is a project focused horizontal bar chart used to provide a
graphical illustration of a project schedule. The horizontal axis shows a time
span, whereas the vertical axis lists project tasks or events. Horizontal bars on the chart represent event sequences and time spans for each task on the vertical axis.
36) Define Funnel chart?Funnel charts are most often used to represent stages in a sales cycle
and visually depict proportionality of the different phases in that sales process. A funnel chart is similar to a stacked bar chart in that it represents 100 percent of the summary values for the groups included in the chart.
37) What is Histogram Chart?Histograms show the frequency of occurrence of data elements in a data
set. The X axis is divided into intervals the denote ranges of data values. Each histogram bas show the number of data elements whose values falls into interval.
38) What are the limitations over BO Enterprise in Crystal reports? Concurrent Access License (CAL) limitation – Crystal Reports server is
limited to a maximum of 20 concurrent users. An error message will be displayed when the administrator attempts to enter key codes that exceed 20 CAL licenses.
Scalability limitations – Crystal reports server can run on only a single server and there is a license limiting the installation to a maximum four-processor server.
Platform limitation – Crystal Reports server only runs on Windows, whereas BO Enterprise runs on other operating systems, such as AIX and Solaris.
Content limitation – Crystal Reports Server runs only Crystal reports; it does not run Web Intelligence reports.
39) What are the five main toolbars that we can use within the Crystal Report design environment?
1. Standard2. Formatting 3. Insert Tools4. Expert Tools5. Navigation Tools
40) What are the date related comparators?Is between – The selected items fall between these two dates.Is not between – The selected items do not fall between these two dates.Is in the period – The selected items fall in the periods selected from the
drop-down list.Is not in the period – The selected items do not fall in the periods selected
from the drop-down list.
41) What are the most highly useful formatting features that are used in cross-tab?
• Customizable style (colors, gridlines, and so on)• Vertical and horizontal placement of summaries• Formatted grid lines• Toggle for summary totals (rows / columns)• Cell margins• Indented row labels• Location of totals (beginning or end for both rows / columns)• Repeatable row labels.
42) What are the reporting problems which are difficult to solve without the use of sub reports?
A few particular reporting problems are difficult to solve without the use of Sub repots. Some of the most common problems and a specific example of each are listed here:
> The presentation of data from two (or more) completely unrelated data sources on a single report.
> A report that needs to combine data from different tables with only derived (and not direct) database field links.
> The presentation of the same data in two (or more) different ways in a single report.
> The inclusion of a summary field in the report that is unrelated to the established grouping in the main report.
> The inclusion of a reusable component like a standard reporting header or footer in numerous reports across an organization that can be dynamically updated for all reports in single location.
43) What the use of bookmarks?A new option, called “Create bookmarks from group tree,” uses the group
tree from the source Crystal report to create bookmarks in the exported PDF output, making the PDF export easier to navigate.
44) In one sub report how many sub report we can insert? No. in Sub Report we can’t insert sub Report.
45) How many different types of reports we can create in Crystal reports? You can create report types like1.Form/Layout2.Summary3.Listing Reports
Moreover you can create your own report format and make it as template for your other reports in Crystal.
46) How can we know the time taken for particular report execution? Report>Performance Information
47) Can we stop the database null values? How? Yes, we can by selecting suppress if null option.
48) Can we export data of reports into other format like in world doc etc? We can export the data in Word doc. Adobe Acrobat, HTML, Excel, Rich
Text format, XML.
49) Can we create report using more than one database? We can create the report but we must having the primary key for both the
database, otherwise it fails to create the smart linking between two database.Generally using more than one link is not supported.
50) What is the section expert? Why we use it? A section expert is used for the entire section, it could be the details
section or the header section. Once you change the settings in the section expert it can be seen through out the section. if we want to make sure that a specific
data has to be displayed in the entire section , then you can write a formula for that in the section expert which will work good for all the sections.
51) Define Merged dimensions:Web Intelligence 6.5 and Web Intelligence XI allowed you to include
multiple data providers in a document but did not allow you to synchronize these data providers and place objects from different data providers in the same block.
Web Intelligence XI R2 allows you to synchronize these data providers through the creation of merged dimensions. Once you have merged common dimensions, you can include dimensions from all the synchronized data providers in the same report block.
52) Define Formula language: The Web Intelligence formula language is enhanced with the addition of
numerous functions and operators, providing calculation power similar to that provided by Desktop Intelligence (formerly Business Objects).
53) Drilling on report data: Web Intelligence XI R2 introduces the new query drill mode that is
specifically adapted for drilling on data providers containing server-side aggregates in databases such as Oracle 9i OLAP. When in query drill mode, Web Intelligence modifies the query in response to each drill action, thus recalculating aggregates and ensuring their accuracy.
54) OLAP universesWeb Intelligence XI R2 allows you to access SAP BW data sources
through OLAP universes. Web Intelligence leverages the data access model familiar from standard universes to provide seamless access to SAP BW data. You work with an OLAP universe in the same way as you work with a classic universe.
55) Hierarchical lists of valuesBusiness Objects XI R2 allows universe designers to create objects with
hierarchical lists of values. Web Intelligence displays these lists of values in a tree view format. Hierarchical lists of values make it easier to navigate to specific items in a list.
56) Cascading promptsIf you define a prompt on an object whose list of values is hierarchical,
Web Intelligence displays a cascading prompt. You enter prompt values at each level of the prompt hierarchy. Like hierarchical lists of values, cascading prompts make it easier to identify the data that interests you.
57) Web Intelligence Java Report PanelThe Java Report Panel contains numerous additions to both its query and
reporting functionality.
58) Define Query:Combined queries allow you to build data providers on single universes
that combine multiple queries in UNION, INTERSECTION, and MINUS relationships. Combining queries allow you to frame complex business questions that are more difficult to frame using a single, standard query.
Web Intelligence XI R2 allows you to build data providers with two new types of query filter: sub queries and database rankings. Sub queries provide an additional method of answering complex business questions by allowing you to
build data providers that include nested queries in their query filters. Web Intelligence first calculates the nested query and compares the object(s) inthe query filter against its result. If your underlying database supports ranking, Web Intelligence allows you to rank data as part of your query. This means that the data is already ranked when Web Intelligence retrieves it from the database and places it in your report. By using database ranking, you can significantly reduce the amount of data stored in Web Intelligence.
59) Define Reporting:The reporting interface of the Java Report Panel is redesigned to provide
easy and consistent access to the properties of different report elements. When you select a report element (for example a table or a cell) the Properties tab displays those properties relevant to the element in a display format consistent across all report elements. The new interface also features dockable toolbars.
The Java Report Panel allows you to define sophisticated rankings to answer complex business questions. You can rank based on raw totals of records ranked or based on percentages of the total number of records. You can also define which dimensions Web Intelligence uses to calculate a ranking.
60) Drilling on chartsDrilling down, up, or by on a chart, provides you with a graphical
explanation for why summary results are particularly high or low.The following section of this guide tells you how to drill on:• dimensions – by drilling on chart axes • measures – by drilling on the data bars or markers in the body of the
chart• dimensions – by drilling on the chart legendYou cannot Drill by dimensions on chart axes. you can Drill by
dimensions on chart legends.
You can drill on the measures displayed on the following types of chart:* bar charts – by drilling on the bars* line and radar line charts – by drilling on the data markers* pie chart – by drilling on the segments
When you drill on measures, Web Intelligence performs the drill action on each dimension displayed on the chart axes. The new measure calculations displayed on the bars or data markers on the drilled chart, correspond to the lower- or higher-level dimensions to which you drilled. The chart axis labels display the names of the drilled dimensions.
61) Define Cache:A small, temporary data storage area on your computer or a system
server used to store frequently-used or recently-accessed data.
62) Define Connection: A set of parameters that provide access to an RDBMS. These parameters
include system information such as the data account, user identification and the path to the database. The universe designer sets up the connection between a universe and the database middleware.
63) What is Dimension object Object that retrieves the data that will provide the basis for analysis in a
document. A dimension object refers to dimensions on universes and typically retrieve character-type data, or dates.
64) Define free-hand SQL:A type of data provider that you define by writing your own SQL scripts, or
by using existing SQL scripts.
65) Define linked cubes: A cube based on another cube that is defined and stored on a different
server. This allows creating and maintaining a cube on one server while it is available as a linked cube on several other servers. Linked cubes appear and work like normal cubes to users.
66) Define linked universes: Universes that share common components such as classes, objects, joins
or contexts. In linked universes, one universe is said to be the kernel or master universe while the others are the derived universes.
67) Define List of values (LOV) In Business Objects and Web Intelligence documents, a list containing
data values associated with an object. You can display, perform functions with or sort a lost of values in Business Objects.
68) What is local cube:A cube created and stored on a local computer. Cube files have “.cub” extensions.
69) What is a Micro cube? A structure in which the data retrieved by a data provider is stored in a
document; houses data that you can display in the report(s) inside the document. Most data providers return a single microcube. However, queries containing incompatible objects return two or more microcubes.
Such queries generate multiple SELECT statements.
70) What is nested dimension?A dimension in a WebIntelligence OLAP report that is grouped with
another dimension on a row or column.
71) What is universe designer?User of the BusinessObjects Designer product, responsible for creating
and maintaining universes. The universe designer distributes universes to users by exporting them to the repository or by moving them as files through the file system.
72) Define virtual cube:A logical cube made up of dimensions and measures of at least one
physical cube. Virtual cubes are similar to views in a relational database and combine data from other cubes without requiring additional data storage.
73) Define virtual dimension: A logical dimension based on properties of dimension members.
